PRIVACY
Are encrypted links the future of URL tracking?
Tracking is fragile… It only takes a couple of lower-case letters to fog up your analytics.
And if you shared a Facebook link recently, you may have noticed that the “fbclid=” parameter is missing.
That’s because as more and more browsers strip out tracking parameters, Facebook is finding new ways to track URLs.
No query strings attached: Firefox is the latest browser to let users opt out of tracking parameters from URL strings.
So if a user opts out of URL tracking, their browser automatically removes “fbclid=” parameter from Facebook link clicks, making them impossible to track.
Unless… Facebook merges the tracking part of the URL with the web address and encrypts it, making it impossible to strip. With that simple move, the link is trackable again!
Why we care: Big tech companies aren’t giving up trackable links that easily… and you don’t have to, either.
Try replacing query parameters with in-URL tracking. It won’t be perfect, but it’s better than losing that data completely.
MARKETING
Subscriptions are driving app revenue growth
Yes, Roblox is fun… but have you ever made money with non-gaming app subscriptions?
According to Sensor Tower’s new report, users spent more money on non-gaming apps than games for the first time in App Store history.
If you like it, put a cha-ching on it: In Q2 2022, 400 non-game apps made more than $1M on subscriptions, while 61 apps made over $10M.
Meanwhile, apps like Netflix, Tinder, TikTok, and others banked over $50M this quarter… totalling nearly $3.4B on non-game apps.
Why we care: The recent trend suggests shoppers are okay with paying subscriptions for apps, which means that if you have an app, there may be a market willing to pay for it.
Now may be a good time to rethink your pricing strategy and add a subscription model, if you haven’t already.
SPONSORED BY OUTBRAIN
This open-web acquisition channel can boost your holiday sales by 66%
The market seems unpredictable this year… And planning your holiday strategy won’t be an easy game.
One possible solution to maximize sales this Q4 is adding Outbrain native advertising to your media plan.
CBR Fashion Group did it last year and was able to boost their sales by 66% for Black Friday.
You can read the story in this article. And inside you’ll also discover the many ROAS-boosting advantages of Outbrain native advertising:
- How to reach top-of-funnel audiences your competitors can’t see.
- How to sharpen your targeting and otpimize your spend even without intrusive third-party cookies.
- How to lower CPMs when acquiring top-of-the-funnel prospects.
- How to easily switch from paid social to native without much hussle.
- How to retarget your website visitors on the open web.
Read the article here – no optin required.
SEO
How to increase your organic traffic with zero-volume keywords
It’s time to flip the secret SEO switch.
With competition getting stiffer and tools getting smarter, finding high volume keywords with low difficulty is getting harder than finding Waldo in a candy cane forest.
But like The Gray Dot Company points out, there’s another way to increase traffic: Low to zero volume keywords.
Sounds a bit counterintuitive, right? It does, but it works.
Zero-volume keywords—particularly long tail keywords—are low hanging fruit in SEO:
- They’re trending. A lot of low-volume keywords are actually high volume, but tools haven’t picked them yet.
- They’re low competition. Since they’re still invisible to tools, your competitors probably don’t know about them… Meaning they’re highly profitable and require little optimization.
- They’re high-intent. Even when volume is low, a lot of long tail keywords are bottom-of-the-funnel and can convert better than high volume keywords.
Here are some tips for picking this juicy SEO fruit:
Talk to your sales and customer service teams. These people hear the most essential questions and pain points of your customers almost everyday.
So why not turn those questions into search queries? You can identify gaps in your website content and provide solutions that will drive new traffic.
Use tools to jump on recent trends. Think about it… if it’s trending, people are searching for it.
Try looking for queries in your niche on platform tools like Google Trends, Snapchat Trends, and Pinterest Trends. Just because SEO tools lag behind on these terms doesn’t mean they are not hot.
Skim online communication channels. Historically, some of the best ideas were the results of conversations in public squares or taverns. Today, it’s message boards, forums, and social platforms.
Search niche communities for conversations about your topics, and you may end up with a bunch of potential keywords and post topics that have good frequency.
That’s just the start, though. There’s also plenty more in the article, including useful tools, processes, and patterns that can help you nail the best possible zero-volume keyword.
SPONSORED BY INBOX MAILERS
60% open rate? Really?
Tired of paying for email subscribers that end up never checking your emails?
Inbox Mailers solves your low open rate problems for good. Thanks to their unique tech, Inbox Mailers users get 50-70% open rates on average.
How? By sending emails right when your subscribers are checking their inboxes.
Discover how this new tech works.
THE CREW’S INSIGHTS
Execute the right ideas with the growth framework used by high-performing startups
We’re guessing this happens to you a lot.
Your team meeting runs long.
You’ve got a huge list of potential growth ideas, and…
You walk out of the meeting overwhelmed and not sure what to pursue first.
Brainstorming growth ideas is a lot easier than executing them. It’s easy to come up with a huge list of options and not know where to start.
That’s where the ICE framework comes in. It’s a framework used by most high-performing startups and marketers, and it helps you decide which growth ideas to pursue first.
It works like this:
- Impact. If this idea is successful, how big of an impact will it have?
- Confidence. How confident am I that this will be successful?
- Energy. What’s the return on investment (ROI) of this idea if it succeeds?
As you evaluate each idea using these categories, score it from 1–10.
Then, start with the ideas which received the highest scores—they’ll probably be your winners.
This framework applies to more than marketing: If you like being analytical about your life, it can help you decide which vacation to take next, where to go for dinner, and whether or not to accept that job offer.
And there you go… you’re ready to prioritize and execute the right ideas!
ROUNDING UP THE STACK
E-COMMERCE: Goli produces $24M a year selling apple cider vinegar gummies. LadyBoss makes $34M selling weight loss supplements. When you join Insights, you see how they do it. Facebook Ads. Influencer campaigns. Upsells. One-time-offers and post-purchases sequences… And more. Steal their profit-generating tactics.*
LINKEDIN: Want to target niche audiences like women in finance? Try a mix of content and targeting. Done the right way, it’s hard not to win, as this case study shows.
SEO: Aaaand we’re done. MozCon ended late last week and left us the best bits from the final day… including SEO’s most important KPIs, tools for scaling your written content, and plenty more. Worth checking out.
LINKEDIN: LinkedIn bio? The platform is adding a new feature for creators—“Follow on LinkedIn.” The tool will let you create a personalized link you can share anywhere. When users click it, they automatically start following you. Nice!
*This is a sponored post
BRAIN TEASER
I am the beginning of the end, and the end of time and space. I am essential to creation, and I surround every place.
What am I?
You can find the answer here.
POOLSIDE CHAT
Cool tech, (funny) business, lifestyle and all the other things marketers like to chat about while sipping cocktails by the pool.
Teenage mutant first responders
When someone says their graduation was “lit,” you’d expect that to have a figurative meaning.
… Not the case for the six brave graduates who cut their ceremony short to help fellow firefighters put out a neighborhood fire.
All six teenagers are volunteers in their small town’s fire department, so it’s clear that when it comes to community, it’s service before self.
We just hope they received a medal of honor with those high school diplomas…